Atlanta Families Celebrate Ten Years Running At Annual Lauren's Run Pediatric Cancer Benefit

City of Hope
Thursday, 28 March 2002

Lauren's Run Commemorates 10 Years of Pediatric Cancer Research; Welcomes New Event Co-Chairs, Parents of Another Lauren

On Sunday, May 5, 2002, more than 1,000 Atlanta kids and parents will race through the roads of Zoo Atlanta to raise funds for pediatric cancer research and treatment at the City of Hope National Medical Center and Beckman Research Institute.

Now celebrating "Ten Years Running," Lauren's Run was founded by Janis and Marvin Zagoria, a local couple whose daughter, Lauren, lost her struggle with neuroblastoma, a lethal childhood tumor, at age two in 1992. The flagship event has raised more than $1.7 million dollars for the Lauren Zagoria Pediatric Cancer Research Fellowship and the Lauren Zagoria Pediatric Cancer Research Laboratory at the City of Hope Cancer Center, and has inspired other runs across the nation.

Lauren's Run has also garnered support from several local businesses throughout the years. Top sponsors for this year's event include Beverage Partners Worldwide, Target and Crawford Communications.

"This year marks a milestone not only for Lauren's Run but for the strides made in pediatric cancer research," said Janis Zagoria. "Today, the cure rate for cancer in children is approximately 80 percent but we and City of Hope dream of making it 100 percent."

Participation in Lauren's Run is easy. Registration fees are $15 for children (must be 12 or under to participate) and $20 for adults. Children and their parents can raise additional donations by asking family, friends and co-workers to sponsor their walk. Fees entitle families to Zoo admission, T-shirts, and brunch; goodie bags and trophy eligibility for the children. The event kicks off at 7:45 a.m. with sign-in, followed by a warm-up at 8:15 a.m. and the Fun Runs at 8:30 a.m. This year, the Runs include a Stroller Roll, a Tot Trot and 1, 2 and 3k Runs for various age groups.

Taking Steps Towards a Cure

The American Cancer Society estimates that 9,100 new cases of pediatric cancer will be diagnosed this year. Funds raised by Lauren's Run have enabled City of Hope to develop new ways to combat cancer in children, including adoptive T-cell therapy, which uses a patient's own immune system to destroy cancer cells. City of Hope has an ongoing commitment to advancing pediatric cancer research and has established specialized facilities, skilled medical, research and support staff and rigorous quality standards required for National Cancer Institute approval to conduct Phase I clinical trials for children.

"One of the challenges we face is that young patients react differently than adults to anti-cancer drugs," said Michael Jensen, MD, director of Pediatric Neuro-Oncology at City of Hope. "The money raised by Lauren's Run enables us to conduct clinical studies that help us determine safe dosages, assess possible side effects and evaluate the effectiveness of new drugs specifically for children."

Joining the Zagorias as new co-chairs for this year's event are another Atlanta couple, Heather and Gil Kochman. The Kochmans lost their 20 month-old daughter, also named Lauren, to cancer, just one month before last year's Run. Lauren Kochman was suffering from neuroblastoma, the same disease which took the life of Lauren Zagoria nine years earlier. Lauren Kochman went through five months of painful invasive procedures, including surgeries, blood tests, bone scans, bone marrow biopsies and chemotherapy. In the end, it was the treatment, and not the cancer, that caused her death.

"Neuroblastoma took both of our Laurens' lives and other children continue to die because available treatments are inadequate," said Heather Kochman. "We're confident that the care, dedication and innovation fostered at City of Hope will raise survival rates of neuroblastoma, which continues to plague numerous children and their families."

To register and find out more about Lauren's Run, call the Atlanta National Office for City of Hope at 404-728-9010 or 800-272-2310 or visit the Lauren's Run Web site at www.cityofhope.org/laurensrun. Registration forms are due by April 26, 2002 and cannot be accepted the day of the event.

About City of Hope

The City of Hope Cancer Center, a National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, is one of the world's leading research and treatment centers for cancer and other serious diseases, including diabetes and HIV/AIDS. The work conducted at City of Hope is shared with medical centers worldwide, touching the lives of millions of people everywhere, including Atlanta. City of Hope is located in Greater Los Angeles.

For more information, or to contact City of Hope, see their website at: www.cityofhope.org